Love in the Time of Trepidation

Chapter 14: A Devastation

This marks the beginning of the third act. It is, perhaps, one of the most significant of Akari's journey. What will hold? Let's discover it together, in Chapter 14!

Chapter 14

A Devastation

"Over here, try to clear some of the debris from the breach!"

"I'm not sure the soil can be used right now. Perhaps if..."

Every voice was panicked, a clear sign of desperation at not knowing what to do in the situation. Multiple feet trampled over what had once been pristine, beautiful beaches. Chief amongst them seemed to be Ginter, the man looking at what had been wrought at his usual base of operations. He wasn't alone, various members of the Construction Corps and Agriculture Corps with him, hoping to find some way to salvage all of this, now that the storm had ended.

Leastways, it had ended on the outside. For Akari, it still raged inside, even days later, her body on the mend.

Lingering hazes of the sun reflecting off the sea still showed pockets where the space around them was warped. More than once, she could swear to seeing a paneled building rising high up, as if attempting to compete with the mountain. Events no longer played, and the one time she had tried to see the roots within the ocean, she had only seen it was too dark to catch a glimpse. All they could see now was images of desolate lands, towering buildings and even an echo of the battle that had taken place.

Akari termed it more as a disaster.

The more she learned, the more that particular line of thought felt apt. Even after a near week of recovery, only slowly were Pokémon returning to the shores. Scores of Skorupi and Drapion remained hidden. The Spheal and their brethren had fled to hidden hollows. And the general news from the Security Corps was of how much everything Rei had once recorded no longer seemed to hold true. The soil wasn't taking, and any signs of dwellings that once existed were now completely obliterated, aside from Iscan's cave lodgings.

Worse yet, for Akari's mind, they still had no idea what had caused it, while Basculegion had returned to the sea.

Much as she wanted to hate it for everything it had done, unable to control its state, she knew all of it really had to come from that cave. It was now deemed a cave no one could enter, as even Irida with the Security Corps had been unable to find a way through the seal there, and no one saw the shadow that rested within. Some had already taken to calling it "Turnback Cave", on account of not piercing its depths. Akari agreed with the name, but couldn't stop the rage she felt towards the shadow inside. Every time she closed her eyes, she could still see it, that malicious, dripping shadow and red eyes that helped a Noble Pokémon set their town ablaze, slaughtering all. It had been no different here. Basculegion was no different.

And though he had saved her, Arcanine was no different as well, just awakening to his power. Were he not friends with Quilava, drawing the strength to save her, Akari wondered more than once what she might have done. Not that she had any means left to reach him. That had been made apparent on the fourth day of her convalescence.

"Lord Arcanine will take his rightful place on Firespit Island. From there," Palina had explained to them, leaning down to thank Quilava, "he'll be able to monitor the land as Lord Basculegion monitors the seas."

"So, we can have balance return to the Coastlands. I hope it means an end to the problem," Irida said, fanning herself continually. The heat of the coast had returned with the sun, and she looked rather out of place, and thus sought Akari's opinion. She didn't give it. Just stared out at the sea, her eyes narrowed in their dark contemplation.